Frustrated, Hilary closed the computer and put it back inside her purse. She got up from her chair and went to browse through the shelves full of books, picked one up and sniffed it. She loved that smell of paper and ink, it relaxed her. After all, she had lived among those books, she had taken her first steps in that bookstore, and there she felt at home. She was rescued from those thoughts by her mother. 
"Hilary, where are you? Come help me sort out the books that just came in." Her mother yelled at her to be heard.
"I'm coming, I'm coming. Mom you don't have to yell like that." Hilary replied.
She wasn't going to get anything done with her writing that day either, so she resigned herself and went to help her mother. She had to do something about this problem, and she would figure it out later. By evening, the two women could feel satisfied with how the day had gone, even though not many customers had come. 
"Hilary, I can't go on like this. Do you see right that not many customers came?" Said the sorry mother.
"Mom don't worry. Although few, we have had customers. I'll devise something to attract customers, and get them to resume reading." Hilary was trying her best to cheer up her mother, but according to her, it hadn't had the desired effect.
The mother shrugged, walked out from behind the counter and went to the coat rack, where she took her coat, purse and scarf, handed it to her daughter and put hers on, taking the purse and scarf as well.  
"We may as well go home and rest for today. Then we'll think about how to turn around the fortunes of the bookstore." Said the mother. 
Hilary was happy to return home, and they left the bookstore. Even that day, snow had fallen heavily on Laurel, in fact, snowplows could be seen on the streets trying to clear the street of it. It was not an easy task, as it was also icy. A gust of wind made Hilary shiver, and she pulled her coat even tighter to her body to get some warmth from it. On their way home, Hilary saw that some of the stores were already starting to put up Christmas decorations, and it warmed her heart to see them. She loved Christmas, especially the decorations, and a smile appeared on her face. The two women finally arrived home, where Hilary's mother got wood to start the fireplace, while her daughter went upstairs to take a hot shower to warm up.
"Hilary where are you going?" Her mother told her as she saw her coming up the stairs.
"Mom, I'm going to take a shower and I'll be right there." Hilary replied as she continued up the stairs. 
Arriving in her room, she walked over to the closet and grabbed her clothes a pair of black leggings and a dark green turtleneck maxi sweater, she rummaged through the underwear drawer pulling out a black suit. He went to the bathroom, turned on the shower to warm it up, undressed and slipped into it.
Under the jet of hot water her brain began to think about the day that had just passed. She couldn't make it, sooner or later she would end up under stress: her mother who wanted help in the bookstore and the fact that she couldn't write a single word of her new book didn't help her at all. And then Angie, her manager, came along with her insistence on the first chapter of the new novel. She just couldn't take it much longer, and going to Wako was out of the question. Although there he would have all the peace and quiet he needed.
He roused himself from his thoughts. 
"Damn it!!! This isn't working." Said Hilary in frustration. 
She began soaping her body with her favorite jasmine bubble bath, rinsed and soaped her hair with rose shampoo, and rinsed her hair as well. Once she was done she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, putting on her soft yellow terry cloth robe, and stood in front of the sink to wash her face with the cleansing milk, and finally put on the lotion.
That hot shower had put her back together again. Once that was done, she put on her underwear on her way back, and in her room she sat on her bed and her cell phone rang.
Hilary took it, seeing that it was her friend Tanya.
"Hi Tanya, how come you're calling me at this hour!" asked Hilary.
"Hi Hilary. I was calling to see if you would go out for a walk with me after dinner. We could go to the pier or the square." Tanya answered very cheerfully.
"Sure! I could really use a break from all this thinking. It's so nice of you to ask." Hilary replied.
They said their goodbyes, and Hilary dressed in black leggings and a dark green turtleneck sweater, with her snow boots on her feet. When she was ready, she went back to the bathroom to dry her hair and went down to the kitchen to her mother, who was cutting vegetables on the marble shelf of the large island in the center.
The mother raised her face to her daughter. 
"Well, Hilary now that you're here you could give me a hand setting the table while I finish preparing dinner." Said the mother kindly. 
"Sure mom." Hilary replied.
Hilary walked over to the sideboard, opened the door and took out the plates and glasses. Under the door she opened a drawer and took the cutlery, then turned around and took two round straw placemats from under the island and went to set the table. In the meantime, her mother took the freshly cut vegetables, turned around and threw them into a frying pan, where the spicy chicken wings were already inside, and stirred everything to cook it without sticking. Hilary sat on a stool in front of the island. 
"Mom, I'm going out with Tania tonight after dinner. She called me earlier while I was in the room. You don't mind do you?" said Hilary.
"No, not at all, go ahead. It's only fair for a young girl like you to have fun. Don't think about me, just have fun with Tanya." Replied the mother. 
When dinner was ready, they sat down at the table and ate, then Hilary helped her mother tidy up. After a while they heard the doorbell ring, and the mother went to open it. It was Tania.

"Hi Tania, did you come to pick up Hilary to go out?" asked the mother. 
"Yes Mrs. Word. I don't know where we're going yet though." Replied Tanya. 
Her mother moved to the side to let her in. Tanya walked in and saw Hilary sitting on the couch. 
"Hi Hilary, let's go come on. The little town is waiting for us." Said Tanya smiling.
"Sure Tanya. I'm ready." Replied Hilary.
She got up from the couch and put on the coat and scarf that were on the coat rack.
"Hi mom, we're going. Don't stay up waiting for me, go to sleep quietly." Said Hilary giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry Hilary, go and have fun with Tanya. Bye." Replied her mother. 
Hilary and Tanya left the house and walked down the street lit by a few lamps and the faint light of the moon. 
"Hilary where do we want to go?" asked Tanya.
"I don't know Tanya. We can go to the pier and take a walk, do you want to?" replied Hilary.
"Of course I do, then we can talk for a while. It's been a long time since we've seen each other." Tanya replied.
They walked to the pier, where they sat on a bench and talked.
"Hilary, tell me a little about yourself." Tanya asked.
"Let's see where I start.... I moved to California two years ago after my father died. I couldn't handle the death of another loved one, if I had stayed here I would have gone crazy, I just couldn't afford it. Upon arriving in California, not knowing what to do and not having a job, I started writing and conquered my fear of letting anyone see my writing. Once I finished writing, I started sending my book out to various publishers, until one wrote me back and said I had what it takes, and that they would look into me since they were looking for new and emerging writers. I submitted and they gave me the opportunity to publish my novel, and assigned me a manager, Angie. And now I'm out there promoting my novel. It's gone so well that I've been asked to write a second book, but I still haven't been able to get a word down, and my manager is pushing me. But it's impossible to write here in Laurel, with all the distractions I have." Finished Hilary narrated.
Tanya was fascinated by Hilary's tale.
"Hilary, you've certainly done more with your life than I have. I've always been in this little town, and the only thing I've done that was remarkable was leaving Tom, the mayor's son, after he cheated on me with that peroxide bimbo Melody. And then hooking up with Marcus the mechanic." Replied Tanya bitterly.
Hilary, in order to cheer up Tanya, but also because she was really starting not to feel the fingers of her hands since they were so frozen, suggested to her friend to go to the bar at the end of the pier to have a drink and warm up a bit. 
"Tanya, why don't we go have a drink and warm up at the bar at the end of the pier? We'll be better and warmer." Hilary proposed
"Sure Hilary, good idea. We really need it in this cold weather." Replied Tanya.
They got up from the frozen bench and walked to the bar, and Hilary wrapped herself in her warm scarf to try to get some relief from the cold. They entered the bar and were enveloped in a warm warmth that melted their stiff muscles from the bitter cold outside. They sat down at the bar, and while they waited for the bartender they continued to talk. 
"Hilary, your mother told me that when your grandmother Camille died you inherited her house in Wako. If you have too many distractions here to write, you could go there. There among the tranquility of the small town you might be able to get something done." Said Tanya.
Before Hilary could respond, the bartender arrived. 
"What would you lovely ladies like to order?" the bartender asked winking.
Tanya ordered her and Hilary a hot chocolate to warm up. 
"Coming right up," replied the bartender.
Finally Hilary was able to answer Tanya. 
"Yes, I inherited my grandmother's house, but I haven't been there since she died. Everything in that citadina reminds me of her, and I don't want to suffer again. I miss her terribly." Hilary replied.
The bartender returned with the hot chocolates and tried to strike up a conversation with the two, who instantly glowered at him.
"I get it, I get it. I'm leaving...and what manners though." Annoyed the bartender replied. 
As they sipped their hot chocolate, Hilary thought back to her friend's words. She was right: after all, she couldn't close herself off like that, and stop going to Wako just because it reminded her of her grandmother. She had to go back there for her, too, and her grandmother would be happy to know that she had gone.

Tanya and Hilary continued to talk, finishing their hot chocolate. Finally, they saw that it was getting late, paid and went home. On the way home it began to snow again, and Hilary took out her umbrella, motioning to Tanya to take shelter under it.
When they arrived in front of Hilary's house, they said goodbye to each other. 
"Hilary it was a pleasant evening. Promise me you'll think about it, about going to Wako. Your grandmother would be happy, and she wouldn't want to see you so stressed." Said Tanya.
"It was a pleasant evening for me too. I promise I'll think about what you said. Tanya, by the way, take my umbrella it started snowing harder. You'll give it back to me next time." replied Hilary.
Tanya accepted the umbrella they said goodbye. Hilary entered the house, and seeing her mother asleep on the sofa she shook her head and took off her coat. 
"You'll never change mom. Whether I'm 25 or 16, you'll always be there waiting for me." Hilary thought as her lips curved into a small smile, she walked over to the couch and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder to wake her up. The woman opened her eyes. 
"Hilary you came back less ill,and safe and sound." Said the mother.
Hilary laughed, "Oh mom, you're still the same. You still wait up for me when I go out, even though I'm twenty-five. Let's go to bed, it's late and you'll sleep better."
Her mother, aided by Hilary, got up from the couch and together they went up the stairs to their respective rooms to sleep.